Everyone's talking communities.
The internet is abuzz with the surge of online communities, marking a shift from the fleeting loyalty of traditional social platforms to a deeper allegiance built on shared identity.
As David Spinks eloquently puts it, audiences revolve around a central figure, while communities focus on their members, fostering a sense of belonging.
For brands and creators, this shift means everything.
In this blog, we're diving into the top 10 easy-to-use and affordable online community platforms for building communities in 2024. Ready for a ride through tools that make connecting, building loyalty, and creating awesome communities a breeze in the digital world? Let's roll! 🌐🚀
Graphy Community Platform (Formerly Scenes)
Are you tired of managing multiple tools and platforms for your community? We get it. That's why we created the Graphy Community Platform, the ultimate all-in-one solution for building and nurturing your online community. With a focus on engagement, customization, and seamless integration, this online community platform provides the perfect stage for your community to flourish.
Why Graphy Community Platform?
Streamline Your Community: Graphy Community Platform brings everything you need under one roof. Say goodbye to juggling multiple platforms, logins, and tools. Get all the essentials in one place.
A Suite of Engagement Tools: With live chat, discussion forums, polls, and a wide array of engagement tools, Graphy Community Platform provides you with everything you need to foster an active and thriving community.
App-in-App Magic: Why leave the platform when you can do it all right here? Graphy Community Platform introduces the innovative "App-in-App" feature, allowing you to seamlessly integrate and use other apps within your community. No more bouncing between tools!
Moderation Made Easy: Managing your community shouldn't be a headache. Graphy Community Platform equips you with powerful moderation tools to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for all.
Analytics that Matter: Gain insights into your community's growth, activity, and engagement. Graphy Community Platform provides in-depth analytics to help you make data-driven decsions.
Integrations Galore: Seamlessly connect with your favorite tools and services. Graphy Community Platform plays well with other apps, ensuring your workflow remains smooth
What else makes Graphy Community Platform stand out from the crowd?
1. Audio/Video Excellence:
Imagine hosting live streams, webinars, or engaging in clubhouse-like discussions effortlessly. Graphy Community Platform takes the lead with the most robust audio/video infrastructure across all platforms. Tested on events with over 13,000 members simultaneously, Graphy proves it can handle the big stage.
2. Built-in Shop:
Got courses, digital goodies, or memberships to sell? Our online community platform lets you set up shop with the lowest transaction fees in the category. It's your go-to spot for showcasing and selling your expertise or digital creations.
3. Live Streaming Integration:
Graphy Community Platform incorporates live streaming capabilities, enabling real-time interactions with the community. Creators can leverage this feature for Q&A sessions, announcements, and other interactive engagements, enhancing the immediacy of communication.
4. Mobile Engagement with Push Notifications:
Emails can be easily missed, but not push notifications. Graphy Community Platform keeps your community active and engaged with push notifications on mobile. Schedule events and send reminders directly to your audience's pocket.
5. Casual Conversations in Group Chat:
Graphy Community Platform understands your community's need for casual conversations. With chat groups reminiscent of WhatsApp and Telegram, Graphy brings an intuitive UX to member interactions.
6. Fully Customizable & White-Labeled:
Make it yours! Graphy Community Platform allows you to plug in your domain, splash it with your colors, and stamp it with your branding. With ultra-customizability, Graphy might even fool your audience into thinking you built the entire platform yourself—it's that 'on brand'.
Book a demo now
#2 Facebook groups
The Good:
- Massive User Base: With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook Groups provide access to a vast audience. This is advantageous for communities aiming to quickly build a large and diverse membership.
- Integration with Facebook: Seamless integration with the broader Facebook ecosystem allows community leaders to leverage the platform's social networking capabilities, making it easy to reach a broader audience.
- Varied Content Types: Facebook Groups support a range of content types, including text, images, videos, and documents, offering flexibility for diverse community engagement.
The Bad:
- Algorithmic Challenges: The algorithmic nature of Facebook's feed can result in community posts getting buried, affecting visibility. This can be a drawback for online communities striving for consistent engagement.
- Privacy and Moderation Issues: Many Facebook Group users express concerns about Facebook's privacy policies and data handling practices, potentially deterring individuals who prioritize privacy and data security.
#3 Mighty Networks
The Good:
- While Mighty Networks is recognized for its robust features, it is important to note that its pricing plans may be on the higher side, potentially posing a challenge for small businesses, startups, and grassroots organizations with limited financial resources.
- User-Friendly Interface: The online community platform boasts an intuitive interface, making it easy for both beginners and seasoned community builders to set up and manage their online spaces without the need for extensive technical knowledge.
- Customization Options: This online community platform provides a range of customization features, allowing community leaders to tailor the look and feel of their space to align with their brand or theme.
The Bad:
- Limited Advanced Features: While Mighty Networks is great for basic community needs, it may fall short for those seeking advanced features like detailed analytics, extensive automation, or integrations with third-party tools.
- Scalability Challenges: As communities grow, some users have reported scalability challenges with this online community platform. Larger communities may experience limitations in terms of member management and performance.
#4 Circle
Circle is an onlinecommunity platform for creators who are looking for community features in the tool like live-streams, chats, events, discussion forums, etc.
The Good:
- Simplicity and Focus: Circles is designed for simplicity, offering a streamlined experience for community builders who prioritize ease of use. Its focus on essential features makes it ideal for those who want a no-frills approach.
- Affordability: Circles provides competitive pricing plans, making it an attractive option for small businesses, personal brands, and niche communities with limited budgets.
- Engagement Features: The platform emphasizes member engagement with features like live chat, Q&A sessions, and polls. This is beneficial for communities looking to foster real-time interactions.
The Bad:
- Limited Customization: While Circles is user-friendly, it may lack the extensive customization options that some community leaders desire. Those seeking a highly branded or unique community experience may find Circles limiting.
- Hefty Transaction Fees: Transaction fees are hefty and may significantly impact a brand’s bottom line, making long-term community management less financially viable.
- Scaling Challenges: Limited storage facility, posing challenges while scaling. It may impede the ability to archive and manage content effectively, hindering scalability.
- Shop Feature Prioritization: Brands prioritizing the sale of products like courses, digital items, or coaching services may find the lack of a dedicated shop feature as a significant drawback.
#5 Discord
The Good:
- Real-time Communication: Discord excels in providing instant communication through text, voice, and video channels, fostering lively and dynamic interactions.
- Versatility: Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform used by various communities, including businesses, study groups, and hobbyists.
- Rich Multimedia Integration: Supports multimedia sharing, allowing users to seamlessly share images, videos, and other files within the platform.
- Extensive Bot Ecosystem: Offers a wide range of bots that enhance functionality, from moderation tools to entertainment features.
The Bad:
- Learning Curve: The diverse features can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a learning curve that may deter those seeking a simpler interface.
- No Customization: Limited customization options may restrict the platform's adaptability for communities with specific branding requirements.
- Limited Revenue-Making Features: Discord's revenue generation features are not as extensive compared to some other online community platforms, potentially limiting monetization options for community owners.
- Privacy Concerns: While Discord offers privacy settings, some users may be concerned about data privacy and the potential for sensitive information exposure.
#6 Discourse
The Good:
- Structured Discussions: Discourse focuses on organized, long-form discussions, making it suitable for in-depth conversations and knowledge-sharing.
- Community Moderation: Built-in moderation tools empower community members to maintain a healthy and respectful environment.
- Searchable Content: Posts are searchable, making it easy to find and reference information, fostering a valuable knowledge base over time.
- Customization: Provides extensive customization options for branding, layouts, and functionality, catering to diverse community needs.
The Bad:
- Steeper Learning Curve: Discourse may pose a challenge for those seeking a more straightforward online community platform, especially for users accustomed to real-time communication tools.
- Monetization Challenges: Discourse lacks opportunities for monetization, with no built-in shop features. Selling courses, digital products, and other items directly on the platform is not supported.
- Content Limitation: The absence of live streams makes the platform less suitable for creators who rely on real-time engagement.
- Resource Intensive: While robust, Discourse may require more resources, potentially affecting performance on less powerful servers.
#7 Bettermode
The Good:
- User-Friendly Interface: Tribe boasts an intuitive interface, making it easy for both moderators and community members to navigate and participate in discussions.
- Versatile Features: Offers a range of features including forums, polls, and member profiles, catering to diverse community needs and fostering engagement.
- Customization Options: Allows extensive customization for branding and layout, enabling communities to create a unique and personalized environment.
The Bad:
- Pricing Structure: Tribe may be on the higher side of the budget spectrum for smaller communities or startups, potentially limiting accessibility.
- Learning Curve: While user-friendly, some users may still find the platform's array of features a bit overwhelming, requiring time for acclimation.
#8 BuddyBoss
The Good:
- Social Learning Focus: BuddyBoss is designed with a focus on social learning, making it an ideal platform for educational communities and online courses.
- Integration with WordPress: Seamlessly integrates with WordPress, offering additional flexibility and compatibility with various plugins.
- Multimedia Sharing: Supports multimedia content sharing, including videos, making it suitable for communities emphasizing visual learning.
The Bad:
- Complex Setup: Setting up BuddyBoss may require more technical know-how, potentially posing a challenge for users with limited experience in website development.
- Resource Intensive: Similar to Discourse, BuddyBoss might demand more server resources, affecting performance on less robust servers.
#9 Patreon
The Good:
- Tiered Memberships: Offers tiered membership structures, enabling creators to provide exclusive content and perks to supporters based on different subscription levels.
- Built-in Monetization Features: Patreon is explicitly built for monetization, with a straightforward system for creators to earn income directly from their audience.
The Bad:
- Fees and Revenue Sharing: Patreon charges fees on transactions, and there is a revenue-sharing model, which can impact the overall income for creators.
- Content Hosting Limitations: While Patreon supports various types of content, creators may still need external platforms for hosting certain types of multimedia content.
#10 Slack
The Good:
- Real-time Collaboration: Slack excels in providing instant messaging and collaboration, facilitating quick and efficient communication within teams and organizations.
- Channel Organization: Offers channel-based communication, allowing users to organize discussions by project, department, or topic for enhanced efficiency.
- Integration with Third-Party Apps: Extensive integration capabilities with various tools and apps, boosting productivity and workflow automation.
- Security Measures: Emphasizes security features, making it a preferred choice for businesses handling sensitive information.
The Bad:
- Pricing Structure: While it offers a free plan, some advanced features are available only in paid versions, potentially making it less accessible for smaller teams on a tight budget.
- Limited Monetization Features: Slack is primarily a communication tool and lacks built-in features for community monetization, limiting revenue-generation options.
Choosing the right community platform can be a make-or-break decision for you as a creator in the long run.
To stand out in 2023, you need to provide your members with a great experience. And you can do that through smooth onboarding, giving them the comfort of mobile, and customising your community. All these are key features designed on the Graphy Community Platform.
As a creator, your long-term goals most definitely will include making money from the community. Make more money than you will from the Graphy Community Platform and use the shop to sell seamlessly.
If you need help with discussing your use case and creating a robust community, book a demo here, and let's talk.
